Dave Brenner of "Metal Maniacs"
Again I’m treated to this band’s airy, rocking metal that’s near impossible to sum
up properly in a simple review. Storming with a ballsy but graceful air of Viking
metal meshed with Americanized prog, thrash and even folk influences, The Green
Evening Requiem’s melodic rock and black/death derivation is a near perfect meld of
styles. I’m sure as much Burzum and Emperor are logged in their iPods as Tool,
Neil Young and maybe even Portishead. Classic thrash collides with Voivod oddness
and frigid currents of Agalloch and Aphotic flow like early spring snowmelt runoff
giving things a wholly organic flow. Boundaries cease to exist here. The production
is this demo’s only weak point. If you can find room in your heart to hear beyond some
static and muffle, this is one goddamned entertaining piece of plastic.
(In addition, Demo 2005 includes the demo I reviewed in 2004, another worthy offering.)
Thanks to Dave and Metal Maniacs for including us once again!
[taken from the February 2006 issue, Firing Squad, page 90.]
Thanks to Dave and Metal Maniacs for including us once again!
[taken from the February 2006 issue, Firing Squad, page 90.]
Reviews of the Winter 2004 Demo:
By Georges Laforet, from Pull The Chain. Jan 2005.
I had been under the impression for quite a while that the doom metal scene has nothing
really new or simply exciting to offer. Of course, I’ve never been a massive
‘depressive music’ listener but for what I heard in most of the productions received here,
this kind of music doesn’t really impose new names or new trademarks. Instead of being
incredibly slow, heavy and totally depressed, the four tracks recorded by the american
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Green Evening Requiem have nothing to do with the usual
screams of pain and mournful laments. I even get the feeling that their music must be labelled
as aggressive dark metal or cool death metal instead of real doom music. Vocals include a nice
death metal effort which nicely increase the violent facet of the band’ sound. Never repetitive
or boring, the pace delivered on «Winter 2004 Demo» varies from the first to the last minute.
An accomplished recording that shall delight lotsa listeners.
By Dave Brenner, from Metal Maniacs. Jan. '05 issue
The Green Evening Requiem. Winter 2004 demo.
Like someone stripped Opeth's Morningrise album down to a 25-minute demo
and threw that re-conception into a Cuisinart with some mid-era Emperor riffs,
this band is all-around excellent! The Green Evening exemplify their abilities
here not only in quality musicianship, but in their precise execution of making
segments flow. Somewhat disharmonic overall, the delivery and production are
fairly below the aforementioned masters of the trade and the short guitar
leads can fall a bit out of sync but hey, this is a demo, right?
They reiterate much of what Opeth and Emperor have immortalized but still
bring it all together with seeming ease and prove they could be a reputable
act that would fit well with a number of known labels. Most of the tracks cut
out way too abruptly, but again, just a minor demo production flaw.
Free demo via their website or write: P.O. Box 13, Richboro, PA 18954.
www.greenevening.com. greenevening@hotmail.com.
By Georgi Darkest, from Darkness webzine. 9/28/04
This Demo Cd got my attention from the first second I started to heard it,
with that dense sound with they started their "Severance" (first track of the demo)
giving it a very depressive and melancholic touch, that brings you the impression
that The Green Evening Requiem is a Dark Doom band, but all this felling of sadness
they know how to mix it with aggressiveness and force. The mixture of clean and
harsh voices, the incursion of acustic guitars with some little celtic tones
sometimes, and the good changes of rhythm makes this release a really pleasurable,
melancholic, but restorative, meloic and aggressive as well travel.
In the 25 minutes that have this production formed by 4 tracks I could find
influences of bands like Opeth, Trifixion, Katatonia, although makes me remain
to Requiem Aeternam from Uruguay too, in some moment of this production.
Definitely this band from Pennsilvania - USA deserves our attention , overall
the attention of all the people who likes the mistures, good rhythm changes and those
games of voices. I think that the style of this band could be defined as a kind of
Dark Doom Atmospheric Black Metal. This "Winter 2004 Demo" have a great musical
structure, and is formed by: "Severance", "Dawn", "Tomorrow is just another Today" & "Desolation".
Good for The Green Evening Requiem, We'll gonna know about you...
By "Shadow," from Harm Magazine. 9/11/2004
The Green Evening Requiem is a young American band coming from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In their own words: “the members are dedicated to creative songwriting and strive to craft
music without expectation beyond emotional truth”. This is their winter 2004 demo
and what I’ve heard sounded very good and promising.
On great thing about this demo is that it doesn’t sound like one so the guys are
aware of what a professional recording should sounds like and I appreciate it even if it is only a demo.
Then the four compositions included show that the guys are talented musicians that
can come up with a certain variety in their songwriting. The opener is rather in the
doom genre while the closer is more direct and in your face death metal.
Then the middle ones show perhaps a more eclectic side and the band
is experimenting more with the sounds, using on the other hand the
acoustic guitar on a couple occasions while at a certain point on track
#3 we are facing a great progressive interlude. The vocals are mostly harsh,
kind of death but occasionally are more shrieking black and also the clean
ones are used but this version is somewhat weak and not précised. Scarce and
shy keyboard parts would emotionally benefit the compositions if given a
more proper room but the guitar work is great and the rhythm section is kicking while not overwhelming.
The Green Evening Requiem should be able to grab the attention of a label when the time will come for their debut album.
By Ali "the Metallian," from Metallian. 9/5/2004
It is easy to guess this bunch as a band with a slightly different bent;
otherwise they probably wouldn't arm themselves with a name like
The Green Evening Requiem. One supposes that Opeth is an obvious
reference point for music like this. The music ebbs and flows, veers a
nd meanders and falls in and out of favour depending on the particular
point in time - or the song. Acoustic guitars intermingle with furious
riffing, clean singing dukes it out with anguished screaming and the
tempo varies not necessarily because convention depends on it, but
because the band demands it. It is not a silly old exercise either.
The proceedings can hit hard and hit hard they do. It's just that
there is much else there too. The tracks are called Severance, Dawn,
Tomorrow Is Just Another Day and Desolation with the second and fourth one
being the better ones. The band is giving these away almost for free so either
visit www.greenevening.com or e-mail the Pennsylvania boys at greenevening@hotmail.com.
- Ali "The Metallian"
By Christine Parastatidou, from Behind The Veil. 8/25/2004
THE GREEN EVENING REQUIEM's music is the amalgam of controversial elements.
Well, elements and feelings if we want to be more precise. Their compositions
are melodic and mellow and yet carry rage and aggressiveness. The sentiments that
derive from these 4 compositions are melancholy and desolation, but in the end
there is always hope and warmth. As for the music... we wouldn't be far from the
truth if we said that The Green Evening Requiem play dark atmospheric black metal
and the use of clean and harsh vocals offer more depth to their music. The production
is quite good, but it is a bit dim. Well, I think that this band from the U.S. deserves our attention.
By Aaron Mckay, from Chronicles of Chaos. 7/12/2004
Hints of Opeth dance with wild abandon on this self-titled demo from Philadelphia's own,
The Green Evening Requiem. For starters, this outfit does place more of an emphasis
on the harsher vocal style here than most of Mikael Akerfeldt's work, but the cleaner
sung lyrics do infiltrate all four tracks in delicate form. This can be heard nowhere
better than on the second cut off the demo, "Dawn". This track also has the distinction
of offering an inspiring outlay of talent as well. Picking up the tempo around the three
minute mark, "Dawn" definably lays waste to all serenity, but then regroups and manufactures a
finely laced, mood-induced surreal soundscape. Most of TGER's material is geared
toward enhancing an overall atmosphere. Emotionally speaking, this band is not
understated or docile in their approach to song writing in order to conceptualize
their sonic vision; at times running a Diabolical Masquerade feel through their
material like a current. Maybe it is the Katatonia connection that can be felt here. What
is meant by that is Blakkheim has an ability to coerce both stark and subtle qualities
into roles with bands embracing his versatility. At times, so does TGER.
Slightly over twenty-five minutes in length, this demo is deep with competence and mastery.
The Green Evening Requiem, however, appear to prefer a more well-traversed path -- that
path being one of forsaking a certain Byzantine boldness for the stability of their influences.
It is prudent to lean on the support of those that inspire you, but to forge your own path is
a reward unto itself. Given time, a firm line-up and proper motivation, The Green Evening
Requiem has within itself the capacity to make brand their mark. Until then, "Tomorrow Is Just Another Day".
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